Sometimes
by unspokenlies
Summary: Sodapop Curtis and Rosalind Marks have been best friends since 4th grade. Rosalind's past has lead her to living under the custody of Darry, and changes begin to happen between her and Sodapop; but sometimes not everything works out as planned. Post-book.
1. Chapter 1

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own _The Outsiders._ S.E. Hinton does. If you didn't know that, and you don't know what _The Outsiders_ is, please go back to school and fix your dumb brain. Thank you!

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**Chapter One**

_ "Rosalind Marks, please come to the stand."  
Silently, I got up from my seat and took a seat at the witness stand. This was my first time in a courtroom, which made me nervous. What kind of questions are they going to ask me? Will they think I'm lying?_

_ They made me take the oath and I sat back in the hard, wooden chair. An attorney for my mother walked up and took a long look at me._

Lie for me baby, please, _Mom had said to me that morning. How could I lie for her when I knew how many people's lives she'd affected? I stared out into the courtroom and saw Mary Oxford and her parents, sitting along-side Chris Carter and his dad. That's a site I probably won't see for the rest of my life. Two enemies, coming together because of the pain that my mother had caused both their families. My eyes kept scanning the crowd and then I saw them. Darry, Sodapop, and Ponyboy Curtis were sitting in the back row, wearing the nicest clothes they could find, staring at me with gentle eyes. _

_ "Rosalind Marks, did you know that your mother had taken part in the murder of George Oxford and Marianne Carter?"_

_ I swallowed. "No…I had no idea."_

_ "Were you aware that you're mother had almost 7 different guns hidden in her bedroom?"_

_ "No."_

_ "And do you know who David Manson is? The man who helped your mother with these murders?"_

_ "No, sir." I said quietly. I knew very well who David Manson was. Mom's little boy toy. God, I hated him._

_ "Alright, young lady. One last time, just for good measure. Do you know anything about your mother's association with the murders of George Oxford and Marianne Carter?"_

_ I looked into the crowd again. Mary Oxford and Chris Carter were both staring at me with pleading eyes. I looked down at my feet, and then back up at them. They were still there. Nothing had changed. I quickly looked over at Sodapop, my best friend since we were in 4__th__ grade, who was staring at me with scrunched eyebrows. He knew everything, just like I did. He knew I was lying. The look on his face was too much to bear. He was…disappointed._

_ I looked the attorney right in the eye and said, "My mom did it. She killed George and Marianne. David Manson helped her, and some other guy. I think his name was Mark…Mark Ybarra."_

_ I let out a deep breath, as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders._

_ "Thank you, Ms. Marks. You may take a seat." _

_ Shakily, I got up from the witness stand and walked over to my seat, right behind the table my mom was sitting at. I avoided making any eye contact with her at all costs; I didn't think I could handle whatever hateful look she'd give me._

**_A Week Later._**

_ "Rosalind Marks, you have the option of going into Witness Protection, where you will be given a new identity and a new family to live with, in another state. The reason you are given this option is because Mark Ybarra has not been arrested, nor found since the conviction of your mother and David Manson. If you choose not to join Witness Protection, you may live under the custody of Darryl Curtis, given permission."_

_ I sat in a chair across from a detective who seemed like he was over-acting at his own job. Darry was sitting in a chair next to me, and Sodapop and Ponyboy were waiting outside._

_ I cleared my throat. "I'd like to live with the Curtis family." I said, giving Darry a nervous glance. The detective raised his eyebrows._

_ "Darryl Curtis, do you agree with this decision?" _

_ Darry nodded. "Of course."_

_ And it was a done deal._

**Two Years Later.**

I sat on the couch, looking through an old journal I used to write in as an attempt to document part of my life. It was depressing, I have to say.

_Dear Journal,_

_ Dally and Johnny are both dead._

Pasted into the notebook were two pictures, one of Dally and one of Johnny. I ran a finger over both, as if feeling the photo would compare to seeing them in person.

I flipped the page.

_Dear Journal,_

_ Today, we all went to Johnny's funeral. Depressing. Also, Sandy cheated on Soda and got knocked up. Soda won't talk to anyone._

"Hey Rose! Whatcha doin'?" I turned around and saw Soda leaning in the doorway of my room. Well technically it was his room; but after Johnny died, Ponyboy started having nightmares. Soda moved into Ponyboy's room and I took his room for myself.

I closed the journal quickly and tossed it onto the shelf it had been on. "Nothin'" I said, lying back on my bed.

Soda changed the subject. "You got work today, missy. Get dressed." He said simply, and walked out of my room.

I groaned and got up from my bed and changed out of my pajamas and into my 'Laurel's Floral Shop' uniform, which consisted of a floral shop t-shirt and a pair of jeans. I quickly took a glance around my room, which was pretty much empty besides the shelves of books and my bed. Then I walked into the bathroom and splashed some water on my face and took a look in the mirror. My brown hair was wavier than usual today. I quickly pulled it up into a ponytail and walked out, saying by to Ponyboy and Soda on my way out.

When I got to the shop, Laurel was already there, cleaning the vases.

"Hey, Laurie," I said with a smile as I walked in. Laurel was about 68 years old, and loved flowers. She had 3 grandchildren that she loved unconditionally, and was probably the most adorable old person I'd ever met.

"Hi sweetie," She said, walking over and giving me a quick hug. I went and took my place behind the register as she flipped the 'closed' sign to 'open' and waited to assist anyone that came in.

About 3 hours later, I was on my lunch break. I headed over across the street to the DX, where Soda and Steve worked. As I walked into the garage, I glanced at the clock. It was noon. Normally, I would've been in school at this time, but summer just began and I took more hours at the shop. When I returned to school in the fall, I would be a senior.

"Rose!" Steve yelled as I walked in. He ran towards me and scooped me up into a hug.

"Woah there, Steve. Where's the fire?" I laughed as he put me down. I walked over to where Soda was working and sat on the hood of the car. "Whatcha workin' on, Soda?"

"Just some beat up car that some man brought in. There really ain't no use to fixin' it." Soda said, sighing and climbing out from under the car.

"We goin' to the Dingo tonight?" Steve yelled from across the garage.

"I was thinkin' maybe we could go to Buck's," I said softly. We all went silent.

No one had gone to Buck's since Dally died. Word on the street is that Buck didn't throw a party for a whole week after the incident.

After a long silence, Sodapop spoke up.

"Um, yeah, I guess we could go there. Wonder what Buck's been doin'."

"Probably still gettin' drunk and havin' people over," I snorted, hopping off the hood of the car and getting back to the shop.

"I'll see you guys after work!"

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"Heyyyyyyy Rose!" Buck called out my name as he chugged a beer and Soda, Steve, and I walked in.

"Hey Buck," I said as he handed me a beer. Steve took one off the counter and Sodapop looked around. Sodapop never drank, and everyone knew that

Buck's place was in full blast as always, which made me miss Dally a whole lot. Dally never got a funeral, since the police thought of him as a criminal. Darry held a dinner as sort of a memorial service, and the whole gang was there.

I ended up losing track of Soda and Steve, and Buck got me way too many drinks than I should have had, but I took the shots and beer happily, until I was dancing with practically everyone in the house.

I did my usual flirting with any cute guy I saw, trying to remember their names and what they looked like so I could describe them to Soda later that night. Everything seemed too much of a blur, though, and I ended up making-out with some guy who told me I had nice legs.

Then 20 minutes later, I still didn't know the whereabouts of Steve and Soda and I figured they had picked up some girls, so I started to head home. The party was dark and I couldn't make out who I was walking by, what with all the drinks I'd had and the commotion going on all around me. I felt someone grab my wrist and pull me toward them, wrapping an arm around my waist. He said my name and I giggled, losing my balance and leaning towards him. I felt our lips meet, and we made-out in the middle of the dance floor. There was something familiar about this guy though, and I couldn't, for the life of me, remember what it was. Maybe it was someone from school that I couldn't remember at the moment.

Then suddenly the familiarity hit me like a wave. The smell, the way he touched me, the way he had said my name.

It was Sodapop.

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R&R? Good choice, hahaha. :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: You're in luck! I posted two chapters in one day! That will probably never happen again in my whole life!

**DISCLAIMER: **Along with everyone else on , I do not own _The Outsiders._ It's disapointing, I know, but I got over it and stopped being a baby. :)

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**Chapter 2**

The next morning I woke up with a raging headache, and got up groggily and headed for the bathroom. I took a few pills to help the pain and sleepily headed down the hall and into the kitchen, where I made myself a bowl of cereal. then I walked into the living room where Darry, Ponyboy, and soda were sitting on the couch, watching TV.

I plopped down in the armchair with my bowl of cereal and yawned a good morning to everyone.

"Didja have fun last night?" Ponyboy asked, not really interested in whether I had fun or not.

Last night. _What did I do last night?_ I thought as I rubbed my eyes.

Then I remembered. We had gone to Buck's place. I'd gotten drunk. I made out with Sodapop. It was the first time we'd ever kissed. I'll admit that Sodapop and I have our chemistry, but we'd never actually done anything until last night. Plus, I was drunk and Soda wasn't. There must've been some background story to that.

"Oh yeah, had a blast." I told Ponyboy, glancing at Soda as he gave me a grin.

It was a Saturday, so Sodapop and I didn't have work. Darry went off to work and Pony went to hang-out with some friends he had made at school, which left Soda and I at home, alone.

Do you remember what I said to you last night?" Sodapop asked as we attempted to make some chocolate cake for later.

"Oh, you said something? All I can remember was…" I made some fake kissy noises and Soda cracked a smile.

"Guess not," he said softly, cracking some eggs.

"Why? What'd you say?" I asked curiously, turning to the fridge and pulling out some milk. I handed it to him slowly, getting very close to his face. "Anything embarrassing?" I raised an eyebrow.  
"No," Soda said, sprinkling flour on my face. "Nothing important."

"You did not just do that." I said. Revengefully, I grabbed an egg and cracked it over his head. I laughed as the yolk slid down his face, but went quiet when Soda took the milk and poured it on my head.

"You're gunna get it now!" I said, grabbing the bowl of half-made cake mix and spilling it all over him. We both were laughing.

"Hey—look. I'm sorry. Let's hug it out," Soda said, trying to be serious. "C'mon."

"Fine, fine," I said, walking into his open arms. The second his arms wrapped around me I was brought to the ground, and we started rolling around in cake mix and various ingredients.

"You suck!" I laughed as Sodapop took some of the cake mix off his chest and rubbed it in my hair. For two 17 year olds, we were vicious.

I finally got it so that Sodapop was on the ground and I was on top of him, getting the advantage and messing his hair up even more.

We ended up both giving up and lying on the ground, soaking in milk and sugar.

Sodapop turned to me and laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, smiling.

"We look ridiculous," He said softly, reaching a hand up to smudge a little flour on my nose.

"Really? I think we look cute." I said quietly, scrunching my nose.

Then suddenly we both leaned towards each other and kissed. We were both shocked that we did it, but it felt…right. When we pulled away we stared at each other's surprised expression.

"What just happened?" I whispered.

"I don't even know…" Sodapop mused. "But…I kind of liked it."

"Yeah…" I said, staring off into space. "You're not as bad as I thought you were."

"Excuse me?" he chuckled.

"Well you aren't the best kisser I've ever met in my—"

Sodapop cut me off and pulled me close. We got into a long make-out session that led me to thinking Sodapop and I might not be 'just friends' after all.

When we finished, so to speak, we got up and looked at the kitchen. It was a complete mess.

"Hello?" a voice called from the door. It was Tim Sheppard.

"In here," Sodapop called back, and Tim stepped into the kitchen slowly.

"Damn," He said, scoping the scene. "What'd you two do this time?"

Soda and I exchanged glances and I laughed.

"Hello?" Someone else called from the front door. "Anyone home?"

This time Sodapop and I exchanged fearful glances. Darry was home. When he'll see this mess we'd for sure get yelled at.

"In here!" Tim called, and I hit him in the stomach as if to say 'what'd you do that for?'

Tim simply gave me an innocent look as if he didn't know any better; then he cracked a grin and headed for the door.

"Oh, hello Tim. What're you doing here?" Darry said from the living room. Sodapop and I were frozen. There was no way we could clean up this mess before Darry took the few steps from the living room to the kitchen. There was a huge milk puddle on the ground, flour everywhere, the cake mix bowl lying upside down on the ground, and cake mix spilled all over the ground.

"Just wanted to drop by and say hello," Tim said, then he was out the door before he could be involved in whatever was going on between Soda and I.

"Well, okay then." Darry murmured to himself. "Soda? Rose?"

Soda and I exchanged glances once again. "…Yes?" I asked hesitantly.

Darry walked into the kitchen and froze. I expected him to be fuming, but he simply sighed and walked out of the kitchen and returned a few minutes later with a mop and some rags and cleaning supplies.

"Now you two get this place cleaned up, no excuses." he said, and walked out of the room.

Later that night, Soda and I were at the drive in, waiting for Steve and Evie to finish their extremely public make-out session and go home.

"How long do you think they'll be goin' at it?" I asked Sodapop, grabbing a handful of popcorn from Soda's bucket and tossing them in my mouth, one by one.

"Could go on for days…maybe even months." Soda said, trying to concentrate on the movie.

"Oh god," I threw my head back and sighed. "Let's get out of here."

Sodapop and I got up from our seats and left Steve and Evie to their business, walking past the concessions and on our way home.

I bumped into someone, who instantly shoved me off and glared at me. "Well, look who it is." Sylvia said to Curly Sheppard. Curly nodded at me and didn't say anything.

Just one look at the girl and memories of Dally rushed back to me faster than a moving car. Dally and I had been real close, and I had taken his death the hardest. Sodapop knew it too, 'cause he grabbed my hand and started to pull me towards the exit. I didn't move. Sylvia was a bitch that always hated me, and I wanted to settle things out once and for all.

"Are you and Sodapop screwin' around now? Is that it?" Sylvia asked, placing her hands on her hips. She always hated me 'cause she thought that Dally cheated on her with me, but Dally had always been faithful…which was a shocker to all of us.

"No," I said, and then glanced at Curly. "How about you and good ole' Curly? You guys goin' steady? Goin' all the way?"

Sodapop tried to get me away again but I wouldn't leave now.

"Yeah, Curly and I are doin' fine," she sneered, placing a hand on Curly's shoulder.

"It'll be our two-year anniversary next week," Curly added, and Sylvia elbowed him in the stomach.

"Two years?" I said softly. Even Soda had paused. Dally only died less than a year ago. I looked up at Sylvia, who was raising her eyebrows at me.

"Yeah. You gotta problem?"

"You two-timin' bitch!" I yelled, lunging towards her. "Do you know how much Dally liked you? Even though you were such a _slut?_"

"Oh, sure!" Sylvia laughed cynically. Two members of Sheppard's gang were holding me back now. "As if Dal never cheated on me!"

"He didn't!" I yelled, and tried to get loose. I glared at Curly. How could he not have told anyone? Then I looked at Soda, who was trying to get Sheppard's gang to let go of me.

"Hey, Sodapop," Sylvia called, walking towards him slowly. Then, quietly, so that Curly couldn't hear, she said, "If you ever want anything, just gimme a call."

Soda didn't say anything as she winked at him.

"Let go of me!" I yelled, throwing my leg backward and hitting one of them in the crotch.

After the two had let me go and Sylvia and Curly walked away with the rest of their followers, I stared at my wrists. They were slightly bruised from the tight grip, but it didn't bother me.

"Don't listen to her, Soda." I said as I walked past him. "You know better."

"I know, I know," He said, following behind me and taking my hand in his.

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**R&R: Rest and Relaxation. LOL JK I MEAN REVIEW NOW.**


	3. Chapter 3

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own _The Outsiders._ SORRY.

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**Chapter 3**

"Damn, this is a nice car. Wonder how Tim stole it." Steve said to me while I sat on the ground in the garage at the DX and we stared at Tim's new car.  
I shrugged. "Maybe he bought it."  
"Ha, sure!" He snorted.  
"Wonder if you could race it," Soda said from the bench in the corner, where he was drinking a coke.  
I turned around, "Hey, Soda! Wanna gimme a sip of your coke?"  
"You'll havta fight me for it," he grinned at me, waving the coke in my face as we walked by me.  
I got up and hopped onto his back as an attempt to tackle him, but it was no use.  
"Fine, take a sip," Soda said, laughing and running across the garage with me on his back.  
I took a sip and smiled, handing it back to soda with a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks!" I said, hoping off his back.  
"Woah there, you two! Was that a kiss on the cheek I just saw?" Steve said, in a harassing tone.  
"Aw, Stevey, if you feel left out just say so!" I said, running up to him and giving him a nice kiss on the cheek too.  
"Thank you, Rosey" Steve said, chuckling.  
"Anytime," I slapped him on the back. "I'm going to get a coke, be right back."  
I walked past Soda and he gave me a wink for my great coverup at Steve's question. When I got to the counter I reached into the mini fridge and grabbed my self a coke, opening it with the bottle opener that came with the 6-pack.  
"I'm gunna head home and take a nap," I said when I walked back into the garage. "l'll see you at home, k?"  
"See ya!" Soda called back, getting up to help Steve with Tim's car.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

I woke up abruptly to Soda trying to put my hand in a cup of warm water. "Are you kiddding me?" I asked, laughing. I glanced out the window to see that it was dark, and raining. It was also cold, which shocked me because it was supposed to be summer. "Is Darry home yet?" I asked, pulling the blanket up around me.  
"No, not yet. He called and said he was workin' late tonight," Soda replied, putting the cup of water on the ground.  
"Poor Dar. Where's Pony?"  
"Readin' some book in his room." I nodded and slowly began to drift back to sleep. Rain was soothing.  
I faintly heard the phone ring and Soda went to answer it. "What?...Okay, okay, I'll be right there. Don't move, okay? ...Okay, yeah. See you soon." He hung up the phone and ran into my room. "Rose...Rose! Come on, you gotta help me."  
Usually I would've gave Soda some witty comeback, but the desperation in his voice stopped me. I got up quickly and pulled a sweater over my head, allowing Soda to drag me over to Steve's car parked outside.  
"Why do we have Steve's car?" I asked once we were inside.  
"Didn't you see him? He was passed out on the couch." Soda replied, focusing more on driving.  
I placed my hand over Soda's. "What's going on?" I asked softly.  
"Sandy," Soda said, and I froze. "She's here and has no where to go. She's out in the cold in front of the DX."  
"Are you serious? I'm not going to help you with that bitch. She tore your heart apart and it's bad enough you're even talking to her."  
"Rose, please. She needs our help."  
"No, she needs your help. She called _you_." I said, drumming my fingers on my knee. Sandy and I had once been the best of friends, but everything changed when she cheated on Soda and got pregnant with some other man's baby. The whole gang hates her. Except for Soda, apparently.  
I couldn't be too heartless, though. Part of me was still her best friend and didn't want her to die out on the cold, but another part of me wished she'd called someone else, because now she and Soda would probably fall back in love. Or at least Soda will.  
We pulled over on the side of the road and I saw her. She was huddled under the awning, shivering from the cold. She had on a pink little dress and nothing else, I was surprised she wasn't an ice cube. Sodapop got out ofthe car, but I stayed. I watched as he slowly and carefully led her to the car and put her in the backseat. She was shivering something fierce, teeth chattering and all. It almost made me feel bad for her. Almost.  
"H-h-h-hi R-rose," she said, but I ignored her.  
Soda elbowed me in the rib. "What?" I asked, and he gave me a look. I rolled my eyes.  
When we brought her home the whole gang was in shock that Sandy had even shown her face in Tulsa, let alone come to the Curtis home. Darry stepped up and helped warm her up, giving her tons of towels and blankets. The whole gang was too involved in helping Sandy that they didn't notice I had snuck away to room, or at least that's what I thought, until I heard a knock on the door.  
"Come in," I mumbled, reading an article in my horse magazine about the new racehorses.  
"Hey, why are you in here?" I looked up to see that Ponyboy had walked into my room and was talking quietly.  
"Too much commotion," I shrugged.  
"So?" he contradicted. "You work really well under stress."  
"Not if I choose not to work well."  
"Are you mad at Sandy, too?" he asked, closing the door and sitting against it. For once, someone agreed with me.  
"Yes." I put my magazine down. "Sodas gunna fall for her again and look pathetic. I know it."  
"I hope he doesn't. She broke his heart and expects to come back and be happy again?" he said.  
"I know!" I sighed. "It's nice to have someone that agrees with me, Pony."  
Ponyboy smiled. "Thanks." he got up. "'Night."  
"Goodnight." I whispered. It was getting late. I got up and headed to kitchen to get a glass of chocolate milk- something we were never out of.  
As I passed the couch, I saw Soda and Sandy curled up against each other, Sandy asleep, Sodapop gazing around the room. The image itself broke my heart. My best friend was going to get hurt, again. For a split second, I wanted to talk to Dally, tell him about what was going on. He would've shit talked Sandy until I smiled again. Tears started to well up in my eyes, and Soda met my gaze. He gave me puzzled look as a tear rolled down my cheek.  
I never cried when Dally died. I simply went silent; didn't talk to anyone for weeks. Sodapop was worried. The gang was worried. Hell-even Laurie was worried. I suppose now I was going to let the tears get to me, because the tears kept coming until I was fully crying. Sodapop started to get up from the couch, but I dropped the chocolate milk glass in my hand and ran out the door.  
"Rose!" Sodapop called out from the front porch. I saw the lghts go on in the house as the others woke up, and Soda ran back inside to grab his jeans.  
I began running. Running to the place I went whenever I needed to be alone, whenever I needed to think.  
The barn.

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Wooooooooooo! In the next chapter, I'm actually going to refer to _Mine_. It's OKAY if you haven't read it, I'm just sayin'. :) **Reviews? Anybody?**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: **Woooooooooooow! You guys must hate me right now. I completely understand your anger with me for going M.I.A. for so long. I read through past chapters of this fic and noticed that I'd (hopefully) improved my writing and didn't really like this story, but I know that I have to make it up to you guys and least make an effort to continue! So here you go, for any faithful readers that haven't given up on me! It's a little short and I apologize, but hey, it's something! Right?

ALSO! There are some internal dialogue lines in here that were definitely italicized when I was typing in word but seemed to have disappeared in this doc. Please forgive me, but I don't have time to go through and find them. I hope you don't get confused!

**DISCLAIMER: **You know the drill.

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**Chapter 4**

The rain soaked through my clothing quicker than I'd expected it to. Though the barn was less than a mile away, the freezing cold of the night had gotten to me and I'd lost all motivation to make the journey. I rounded the corner and found myself in the empty lot that the boys always played football in, recalling lazy Sunday afternoons under the sun. Now, the rain poured down on the portion of the lot that wasn't covered by trees.

I took refuge in the dry spot between two trees and sat for a second. I had issues. I had a problem and I could tell. I'd been running away from my problems for as long as I could remember. When I found out that my mom had murdered George Oxford and Marianne Carter, I was only fourteen years old and I felt like I'd been struck by lightning. The only reason I'd found out my mother's dirty little secret was because David Manson had stormed into the house yelling something about bodies and a hiding spot. Names were thrown around; eventually I caught on and my mother noticed me standing in the doorway. David Manson tried to lunge towards me as if to shut me up, but I ran out the door before he even reached where I had been standing.

At the time I had nowhere to run but the Curtis home. I got there covered in sweat and shaking from head to toe with fear. They took me in instantly, handing me a glass filled to the brim with chocolate milk as I told the story on their couch, seated next to Soda and Dally. The whole gang had known by the time I was done, but they didn't say anything. They didn't accuse me of anything or kick me out or even tell me to call the cops – Sodapop simply squeezed my arm and the rest of the gang stayed silent.

Now I was running away from stupid teenage problems; Issues that wouldn't exist if it hadn't been for the sudden feelings stirring between Soda and I. I would've gotten along just fine if he hadn't kissed me at Buck's party.

Or that day in the kitchen.

I could distantly hear Soda calling my name through the pouring rain. I felt a pang of guilt, knowing that I'd woken up the entire house. The leaves beneath me crunched as I adjusted my position, staring straight ahead of me at the open lot. It was empty, though I could hear Sodapop approaching. His voice was getting louder and clearer, though I assumed that if I hid myself between the trees, he might not see me. I'd rather spend the night in the lot than around stupid ole' Sandy. With her stupid baby (_Where_ was _that stupid baby, anyway?_), her stupid blonde hair, and her stupid showing up without warning.

She'd broken Soda's heart, and no one was going to forget that easily. Even Soda has enough sense to remember.

Right?

"Rose?" Sodapop cautiously walked into the open lot, as if he were to be suddenly mauled by a bear. He didn't seem to notice me. I took in his appearance: his hair was wet and stuck to his face, his eyebrows were knit together with concern, and his white t-shirt was completely drenched. For a second I considered revealing myself, because he really did seem to be worried.

But I couldn't do it. I just wanted to be alone. And though I was shivering up a storm, wearing flimsy pajama pants and one of Darry's old t-shirts, I didn't want to be in the same house as the cuddly ex-couple.

Now, _that_ was immature. But who cares?

Within minutes, I began to realize how late it was and started dozing off under the tree. The damp, wooden trunks offered a certain comfort for someone running away from their problems. Before I knew it, I was out.

When I woke up, I was covered in blankets. So many that I felt like I was choking. The entire set-up was too heavy for me to lift myself up, and I sighed as I took in the warmth of the assorted quilts. I recognized the one on top to be the blanket that had been on my bed, and with that observation I realized I had been found and brought home.

Turning my head, I noticed a cup of tea sitting on the coffee table, the red mug placed neatly on a coaster. I heard someone moving around in the kitchen, washing dishes.

As the person shut off the faucet and entered the living room, I noticed that it was Sandy. Immediately pretending to doze off again, she acknowledged my unconsciousness and took the tea away, entering the kitchen once again.

_Oh, hell no,_ I thought. _I have to get out of here. _

The idea of attempting to climb out from under the blankets and running out the door seemed too noticeable, but it was the only option. I gathered up all my strength and tried to climb out of the impossible cocoon. Was this Sandy's attempt to get rid of me? Trap me in blankets?

"Oh, you're awake!"

I froze. Sandy entered the living room and sat in the armchair across from me as I sighed and sunk back into the couch. Perhaps I could sink all the way into the couch and disappear.

"You fell asleep in the lot last night," she murmured, watching me burrow myself in the warmth of the blankets. It was still raining. The pitter-patter on the roof had a relaxing effect on me, making me not as tense around Sandy as I should've been. "Darry found you soaked, curled up between two trees and brought you back here. We wrapped you up in as many blankets as we could find and sort of watched you for the rest of the night…didja know that you shivered in your sleep?"

I stared at her silently.

"…Well you did. It was scary. Darry thought you'd gone and got pneumonia. We were all worried sick. Everyone tried to stay home and wait for you to wake up, but I volunteered to take care of you while Darry and Soda went to work and Pony went to school. I didn't think you'd wake up so soon!"

I sighed heavily, violently kicking the blankets off of me and then slumping in exhaustion once I was free. Sandy stared at me strangely. I sat up quickly, noticing that I was no longer in my pajamas but a pair of sweatpants and one of Soda's sweatshirts. My hair was a dark mess, hanging down my back in tangled waves.

"Sandy," I said, looking her in the eye and stifling another yawn. "Not to be rude, but why the fuck are you here?"

She seemed thrown off by my question. I couldn't see why. I recalled a time when we were freshmen in high school and our friendship had just began. She had been the perfect child, never making a single mistake and getting perfect grades. She was so saint-like; she could've been considered a Soc. I'd thrown around a few swear words in front of her and she almost went into shock. But ever since then, she'd become immune to my dirty mouth. This situation seemed no different. Besides the fact that no one really liked her anymore.

"Well, I…" she stuttered, looking down at her feet.

"Sandy, just spit it out. Are you here to break Soda's heart again? What happened to that baby of yours? Do you think you can come back here and pretend nothing ever happened? That you didn't cheat on the boy that was in love with you and that we were still best friends?" I spat angrily, standing as I did so.

Sandy shamefully avoided eye-contact. I suppose it was my turn to do all the talking.

"You know what? Soda really fuckin' loved you. He thought you were the one. Wanted to marry you, even. And when he got that stupid letter about you leavin', he nearly tried to run away." I said gently, walking over to the window and watching the raindrops race down the glass. "After you left he didn't talk to anyone for weeks. He was so upset. Then finally, he began acting like himself again and then you had to come and make another special appearance."

I turned to her and noticed that she was beginning to tear up. "No, you don't get to cry! I get to fucking cry! When you left, I lost both my best friends at the same time. And Dally and Johnny were gone and everyone was so fucking sad all the time I could barely take it! But I never cried. I never ran away like some coward and I sure as hell didn't give up on anyone. As the months went by, things started getting back to normal and that's just how I wanted it to be. Last week, I even saw Soda flirtin' with a girl down at the DX. It was the first time I'd seen him open up like that in ages. And then you had to call in the middle of the night, in the pourin' rain, and Soda came running. What are you plannin' on doing now? Making him fall back in love with you so you can leave again?"

The tears fell between the both of us. There was no fixing our relationship. I didn't want anything to do with her.

"Rose, I –"

"I think you should leave."

"I haven't got anywhere to go."

* * *

**A/N: **Oh jeez, now I'm nervous for the reviews I'm going to get for my long absence. Please don't hate me! I'm sorry! Hope you enjoyed reading. I promise I'll make more of an effort to update soon. Plus, I have Thanksgiving break coming up and I'll definitely make time to write a few chapters. Suggestions, criticism, praise are all welcome. Reviews are great! Also, I'm looking for a beta. It's getting too tedious to re-read these stories over and over again. So if anyone's interested, PM me!


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